With the temperature rapidly changing, it is only a matter of time before mosquitoes will be ever-present. It is important to reduce the places where the irritating insects can breed.

“It’s important that you reduce mosquito breeding grounds on your property,” Daniel Masingale, Stuttgart Office of Mosquito Control director, said in an open letter to Daily Leader readers. “It isn’t uncommon to find mosquito larvae in tiny amounts of water found in an aluminum can.”

The department will be gearing up in the coming months and checking its traps continuously. The trap numbers are used to decide when they will start spraying — with their truck machines as well as their airplane.

But, according to Masingale, there are several ways each Stuttgart resident can minimize the amount of mosquitoes on their property.

Pets

“Change your pet’s water bowls ever day,” he said.

This will prevent the water from stagnating. This practice should be used in birth baths as well.

Landscape

“Keep your lawn trimmed and properly maintained; even a couple of inches of tall grass can provide harborage for resting mosquitoes that if disturbed will swarm and bite even during the day,” Masingale explained.

Another way to help prevent mosquitoes is to fill in holes in yards and trees.

Drainage

If residents notice certain areas on their property that hold water then that could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“Consider grading or adjusting the way water flows across your land. Check areas that are lower in elevation, near gutters or downspouts and other areas where water may collect and adjust to prevent standing water,” Masingale said.

Toys

If residents have children’s toys in their yards consider drilling a small hole in each toy to allow drainage.

“Turn any toys that are collecting water upside down before a rain storm, and keep child-sized pools empty and stored on their side,” he said. “Maintaining toys carefully protects children from both drowning and contracting West Nile Virus, so this is an especially important step.”

Pools

Making sure pools are properly maintained by chemicals is especially important in heavy mosquito areas.

“Otherwise it can quickly become a stagnated breeding ground for mosquitoes,” Masingale said.

Masingale said residents can contact his office at anytime.

“If you are having a problem with mosquitoes on your property and are not sure what you can do, please contact our office,” he said. “A lot of our problems come from the rice fields surrounding the city; however, it is not uncommon to find source points on properties inside the city.”

Page 2 of 2 - Masingale said he would work with residents to come up with solutions to remedy the problem and offer advice on how to keep families safe from mosquitoes.

For more information, call the Stuttgart Office of Mosquito Control at (870) 673-7701. Leave a message if no one answers, as most of their work calls for them to be outside of the office.